The Poisoned Kiss
by PandaStarz
Summary: Kagome is lost. Fate brings her onto the path of a demon. And the demon tries not to fall in love. Sesshoumaru and Kagome will never be able to look at each other the same way again. SESSKAG.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

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><p><strong><span>Prologue<span>**

Deep down, Kagome had always known that Inuyasha would choose Kikyo. Selfishly, she'd hoped that he would change his mind. She held onto that hope… until they were betrothed.

The taiyoukai watched contemplatively as Kagome drifted into an uneasy sleep. By some twist of fate, Sesshoumaru had found the miko; lost and alone and sick with grief.

Beneath her sorrow and pain, Sesshoumaru's sharp senses detected an unjust emotion from the human girl: guilt. As he watched her sleep, he caught the snatches of her inner thoughts that she gasped out between soft hiccups and sobs.

_The miko has broken a promise to the half breed_, Sesshoumaru mused. A promise to remain by Inuyasha's side. She was constantly tormented by it, berating herself at every moment, even in sleep.

Moonlight filtered through the trees above, illuminating Kagome's face. A stream of tears glistened there, trickling silently down her face. Sesshoumaru gazed at the moon, turning his head skyward.

A broken heart, exchanged for a broken promise. Humans were such fragile creatures.

He allowed a portion of his youki to pool around him, invisible energy washing over his surroundings. In it, he enveloped Kagome, swathing her in his demon energy like a blanket. Her hitching, uneven gasps calmed into a steady pattern of breathing. The tension in her shoulders that was even present in sleep melted away, and she rested soundly.

Sesshoumaru was satisfied. He'd invented the technique shortly after adopting Rin into his pack, when she'd been afflicted by similar nightmares. His watchful eyes slid shut, and he too allowed himself to sleep.

Perhaps her broken heart could be mended, and Sesshoumaru would be the one to repair it.

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><p>I wrote this drabble for the <em>Dokuga Contest<em> on LiveJournal. The prompt was 'Repair'.


	2. Silver Lining

I decided to continue this and turn it into a drabble series. I'm warning you now that it doesn't have a plot. Updates every other Saturday.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Silver Lining<strong>

Through the haze of tears blurring her vision, past the trees separating her from the clearing ahead, Kagome discerned a dark outline against the setting sun.

"Inuyasha?" she whispered, "Inuyasha!" She sped up. But why was he walking so slowly? And if she had just run away, then why was he ahead of her?

She realized that it wasn't Inuyasha before she even saw the demon's face. He would have called back to her. He would have raced towards her. She slowed as she broke through the trees. Cold yellow eyes caught her in their narrow gaze like car headlights shrewdly considering a deer. Nonetheless, Kagome's tears returned, tears of relief, for at least the demon was someone she recognized.

"Human," he addressed her, his tone emotionless. Kagome's heart flipped. At least the taiyoukai had chosen not to ignore her.

"Sesshoumaru-sama…" Her voice was slightly hoarse with the emotion that coursed through her, yet she managed a respectful tone.

"You are separated from my half-brother's pack."

It wasn't a question, but Kagome replied to it like one. "I… ran away," she explained, her voice nearly breaking.

He tilted his head upward to admire the sky. "I see," he murmured eventually, almost to himself.

Kagome was unsure whether to remind him of her presence when his eyes snapped back to her and he said suddenly, "You are called Kagome."

"Yes."

Without another word, the taiyoukai brought his gaze back to earth, resuming his travels by walking right past Kagome. Her heart sank. She would be alone again, without Inuyasha to protect her, without a place to stay, without–

"Kagome."

The girl turned around to see the demon paused at the edge of the clearing.

"You may follow."

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><p>I originally entered this drabble into the <em>Dokuga Contest<em> at LiveJournal (and took second place). The prompt was 'silver'.


	3. By the Fire

Hehe, this one's a little late, sorry.

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><p><strong> Chapter 2: By the Fire<strong>

Sesshoumaru stopped suddenly and Kagome, who'd been trailing him absently, stopped in surprise.

"Wait here."

Before Kagome could even open her mouth to ask where he was going, she was alone.

By the time Sesshoumaru returned, Kagome was curled up into a ball on the ground. As he laid down the firewood he'd gathered, she explained, "I was t-trying to keep warm." The salty scent of tears that came from the girl bespoke otherwise, but the taiyoukai let the matter drop… by remaining silent.

He had a fire going within seconds, and Kagome crept closer, amazed. "How did you do that? Even Inuyasha can't…" she trailed off at his glare. _Note to self: don't compare Sesshoumaru with his brother._

Sesshoumaru chose a nearby tree and settled into a niche at the base of it. "You will sleep here," he said eventually, after Kagome had warmed by the fire. _Okay… not too eloquent with words, is he? Looks like he and Inuyasha have more in common than meets the eye. Oops – I'm not supposed to be comparing them._

Kagome lay on her side, resting her head on pillowed hands and wishing she had some sort of camping equipment. _Or at least… friends,_ she thought tiredly. She had her back to the fire and was facing Sesshoumaru, who sat a few feet away watching her. Their eyes met.

"G'night, Sesshoumaru-sama," she sighed, closing her eyes and letting exhaustion take over her.

"Hnn."


	4. Beast

Yes! Finally, time for some angst! :)

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: Beast<strong>

_The moon, a shining orb against an obsidian expanse of sky, and inside Sesshoumaru the Beast rages. The demon is alone, and the full moon ignites his curse. His silver hair ripples on a windless night with the youki he expels to keep himself in check. His eyes pulse red, and savage thoughts fill his mind. He struggles against it, as he always has, but the Beast grows stronger with each passing moon. Within the next century, he will be overpowered unless the curse he has borne throughout his life is broken, and he will meet his demise like his father before him. A sensation like his soul is being wrenched from his body comes over him as the moon reaches its peak –_

Sesshoumaru felt a tug – a pulse. With the last vestiges of sanity he retained before his body was dominated by the curse, he considered the faint energy that pushed against his senses. He started toward it, allowing the energy to guide him toward its source. As he neared it the Beast in him receded, and he regained control over his thoughts and actions. He suddenly stopped in his tracks, catching a faint yet unnervingly familiar scent.

It couldn't be…

With a sudden snarl, Sesshoumaru raced toward the epicenter of the Pulse that was the origin of the scent.

His eyes bled red as he glared at the sole figure.

Even in her sleep, Kagome fidgeted under the taiyoukai's venomous glare.

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><p>Kagome couldn't bear it any longer.<p>

"Why have you been staring at me all morning?" she demanded finally. Sesshoumaru's glare hadn't left her since she'd awoken that morning.

Kagome may have expected him to ignore her, but she certainly hadn't anticipated the claws that gripped her neck.

"You will hold your tongue, woman," he snarled coldly.

Perhaps the Beast hadn't subsided, after all.

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><p>I originally entered this drabble (well, a version of it; I did some revisions) into the <em>Dokuga Contest<em> at LiveJournal (and took second place). The prompt was 'grind'.


	5. Acquisition

**Chapter 4: Acquisition**

The miko was a recent acquisition to his pack, yet overnight she had taken hold of Sesshoumaru's attention and now shifted it between her unremarkable human fingers.

And yet she was oblivious as ever.

Something that she was not consciously aware of and that he could not define could be the solution to his problem: the curse of his transformation. It was maddening.

But it was just as well. He would patiently take hold of the answers he sought. He would simply pry it out of her using any method at any cost – even at the expense of her life.

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><p>I feel like I should apologize for my lack of updates... *shrugs* Heh. Sorry it's so short, but at least I'm updating again :)<p>

Originally, this drabble was entered over at the _Dokuga Contest_ at LiveJournal. The prompt was 'dense'. 100 words.


	6. Her Reaction

**Chapter 5: Her Reaction**

Kagome regained consciousness slowly. Her eyes fluttering open, the first blurred image she saw was a shadowy figure looming over her, blocking the sunlight.

_Oh!_

Recent events rushing back to her, she sat up, and a hand flew to cup her injured neck, coming into contact with the soft, silky fabric that acted as a bandage.

"Are you fit to travel?" Sesshoumaru neutrally inquired.

She searched what she could see of his shadowy features. His impassive countenance was in place once again, but the lingering memories of his ire scarred his face in her mind. She dropped her hand. It fisted in anger in the grass beside her.

Getting to her feet, she treated him to a glare, but just as she opened her mouth to tell him off for her unnecessarily rough treatment, she paused.

Her glare faded to a frown, then dissolved entirely.

_I may be grateful to him for rescuing me, but I certainly won't hang around where I'm not wanted!_

Lifting her chin, Kagome replied, "Yes, I am. And if you could point me towards the nearest village, I'll be on my way."

Unreadable twin golden discs searched her. She met his gaze before lowering her eyes and adding a quiet "please" to the end of her sentence.

He was silent for long enough that Kagome started to think he would just leave her there without a word.


	7. Stay

**Chapter 6: Stay**

"Kagome… stay."

They faced each other with dreamlike stillness. Her eyes widened. His narrowed.

The wind shifted direction, tousling the grassy field they stood in, gravitating their clothes and hair away from them.

"…if you wish," he continued. It was an afterthought. "If not, there is a village in that direction," he inclined his head, "It is one half of a day's journey from here."

He turned away.

Freed from his gaze, indecision settled over Kagome's features.

_I may not know what his problem is…_

Again, her hand drifted up to her neck, as the tattered sleeve of the taiyoukai's kimono fluttered behind him in the wind.

…_but_, she thought, her legs, of their own accord, striding to catch up, _at least Sesshoumaru-sama tries to heal the wounds he inflicts._


End file.
